Italy’s 2027 budget extends betting, AWP and VLT concessions to 2029
Regulation2 min read
In brief
- Italy's 2027 budget bill extends betting, AWP and VLT concessions to 31 December 2029, for a fee.
- Fees are set 50% above the previously provided parameters.
- The government estimates revenue of about €843m over three years.
The technical report on the 2027 budget law sets out the financial effects of provisions that change how long concessions last for betting and for the telematic networks of cash-prize entertainment machines. Under the measure, both types of concession run until 31 December 2029. Concession holders must pay fees that are 50% higher than the parameters set earlier. The concessions now in place end on 31 December 2026, and the paid extension carries them to 31 December 2029.
The report puts revenue from extending the physical-network betting concessions at about €343.5m for 2027-2029, or about €114.5m a year. On top of that come charges of €36.45m for AWP and about €463m for VLT. The government estimates the total at €843m over three years.
The measure applies to holders of betting concessions and to concession holders responsible for the telematic networks for AWP and VLT machines. For betting, the report says concession charges rise by 50% compared with those set by article 1, paragraph 96, letter b) of law 207 of 30 December 2024. The calculation base is 9,873 rights. The report applies a 2% reduction to allow for rights that may not be extended.
For AWP, the fee is €150 for each operating licence (nulla osta). For VLT, the fee is €7,500 for each installation right. The fee is tied to the number of authorisations and installation rights each concession holder has at 30 November 2026. The report assumes 243,000 AWP operating licences issued at 30 November 2026. For VLT, it assumes 61,737 rights issued at that date, giving an estimated revenue of about €463.03m.
Payment for AWP and VLT is to be made in nine instalments over the three years, three a year, due on 15 March, 15 July and 1 October. For both extensions, a decision by the director of the Agenzia delle dogane e dei monopoli is to set the financial guarantees that concession holders must provide.